Daily fitness and wellness tips

Category Archives: Clean Eating

By skipping a meal you are training your metabolism to slow down. Your body goes into starvation mode and begins to slow down to try and store fat. It is are bodies way of keeping us alive.

Instead of skipping a meal to lose weight, plan your meals ahead of time and pack them. Plan on having 5-6 small meals throughout the day. All meals should consist of lean protein to keep you full and satisfied and lots of non-starchy veggies. Add some fruit, starches and good fat as well. If you are trying to lose weight, go easier on the starches, fruit and fats- but do add some to keep your meals balanced.

Today’s Tip: Add more green veggies to your meals!

Add more green veggies to your meals!

Here’s why:
Green vegetables are one of the most health-promoting food groups. They contain fiber, antioxidants, and other phytochemicals.
By adding greens to your diet you can manage healthy weight loss, increase energy and boost your immune system.
Research suggests an overall healthy diet filled with green vegetables is key to prevent heart disease, diabetes, and possibly cancer.

Eating a little good fat (like the monounsaturated fat found in olive oil, avocado and nuts) with your vegetables appears to help your body absorb protective phytochemicals, like lycopene from tomatoes and lutein from dark green vegetables.

So grab some of these healthy fats, add greens and tomatoes to enjoy a nice change. You should never get bored with salads either because there are so many options and recipes out there as well!

Eat Salads for the Health Benefits of Fruits and Vegetables
Many experts agree that Americans need to eat more fruits and vegetables (especially dark green and orange vegetables) and legumes — all popular salad ingredients; nutrient-rich plant foods contribute to overall health. If you frequently eat green salads, you’ll likely have higher blood levels of a host of powerful antioxidants (vitamin C and E, folic acid, lycopene, and alpha- and beta-carotene,) especially if your salad includes some raw vegetables. Antioxidants are substances that help protect the body from damage caused by harmful molecules called free radicals.

There are many diets out there, and sometimes it could be hard trying to decide which one is for you, and sometimes it can be difficult, as some diets are strict, bland, or boring, which can make them hard to stick to.
The Mediterranean diet is not one of these! This diet consists of flavorful fruits, vegetables, and colorful meals.
The Mediterranean diet emphasizes:
• Getting plenty of exercise
• Eating primarily plant-based foods, such as fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes and nuts
• Replacing butter with healthy fats such as olive oil and canola oil
• Using herbs and spices instead of salt to flavor foods
• Limiting red meat to no more than a few times a month
• Eating fish and poultry at least twice a week
• Drinking red wine in moderation (optional)
Research has shown that the traditional Mediterranean diet reduces the risk of heart disease. In fact, a recent analysis of more than 1.5 million healthy adults demonstrated that following a Mediterranean diet was associated with a reduced risk of overall and cardiovascular mortality, a reduced incidence of cancer and cancer mortality, and a reduced incidence of Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases.